Environmental news from California and beyond

Spring break at the Grand Canyon

It's a bit different than chugging tequila at Cancun. Sixty college students will descend on Grand Canyon National Park next week to help replace a parking lot with native vegetation.

As part of the National Park's attempt to cut down on asphalt around the South Rim, the students from the Student Conservation Assn. will be planting native plants and removing invasive ones around Mather Point. The park is replacing the large parking lot and traffic-choked road that led to the popular viewpoint with pedestrian walkways and park shuttle stops.

Kevin Hamilton of the SCA said the program drew five times as many applicants as there were available slots when it was posted online. And, really, Cancun vs. the Canyon? No contest.